WMU professor helps Liberian youths rebuild lives

Dec. 14, 2000

KALAMAZOO -- Rebuilding a society torn apart by seven years
of bloody civil war would be a huge undertaking for even the
wealthiest of nations.

Now imagine being an impoverished Third World country and
consider that many of your young boys had been forced to fight
in those wars and were turned into marauding soldiers. Then,
after hostilities ceased, they were cast onto the streets into
a life of survival of the fittest.

That's the scenario Dr. Susan Weinger, a WMU associate professor
of social work, stepped into earlier this year when she volunteered
to go to Liberia to take part in a new program aimed at helping
teen-agers whose lives had been shattered by civil war and who
had taken part in a no-holds-barred form of conflict.

"They were conscripting children as young as 6 years
old and above to fight," Weinger says. "All of them
had seen or had perpetrated atrocities. After the wars ended
(in 1997), they were thrown back on the streets, where they stole
to survive."

Weinger was understandably apprehensive about her assignment.
Not only would she be working with an unlawful band of potentially
violent youths, she also would be transported to a country known
for political unrest, extreme poverty, harsh living conditions
and woefully inadequate healthcare. She wondered if her life
would be in danger simply by walking down the street. She soon
found she had little to fear.

"I was very afraid to go to Liberia," Weinger admits.
"It's politically unstable, there are health hazards and
dire living conditions. But I found that the youth and the staff
were so hopeful about starting this program. The staff was committed
to making a difference in the lives of these youth. They gave
their heart and soul to help them take a positive turn in their
lives. And I saw the youth courageously trying to redirect themselves
toward a path of social inclusion and contribution.

"I'm not saying it all went smoothly. But I witnessed
that out of this terrible destruction of their society, staff
members were still able to exude a strong humanity, believing
in and accepting these youth wholeheartedly. They were trying
to rehabilitate the trainees and the trainees were hoping to
be integrated back into their society and do something for their
country."

Weinger's trip to Liberia in June was through the American
Refugee Committee, which was looking for volunteers to provide
staff training and intensive counseling to 50 ex-combatant teenagers
housed in a rural camp about an hour's drive from Monrovia, the
nation's capital.

The program, which sought to retrain the youths and reintroduce
them back into society, was put in place in February. In addition
to much-needed socialization skills, the youths were taught agriculture
and various trades that would help them lead productive lives.

Living arrangements and camp facilities were abysmal, Weinger
said. There was no running water or electricity. The camp had
over 10 buildings, but all had been bombed and only a few had
their walls intact. Two of them had been re-roofed, with one
serving as a boys dorm and classroom and the other as a staff
boarding house with nurse's station and additional makeshift
classrooms.

The teenage trainees slept on the floor with only a thin plastic
mat between them and the cement. Clouds of mosquitoes swarmed
in at night. The kitchen was outdoors, with only a torn plastic
sheet covering the cooking area. The weather in Liberia is rainy
and raindrops often diluted their food. "It rains some days,"
Weinger said. "And on the other days, it rains harder."

Pencils, pens and paper were in short supply. Weinger one
day observed 22 students trying to draw the flag of Liberia sharing
one red and one blue crayon. During vocational sessions in carpentry
or agriculture, 15 students would share one hoe and one hammer.
For games, the youths used what they could find, such as using
bottle caps as checkers.

Weinger soon developed a close bond with the young trainees.
In addition to being hard workers, they were fun to be around
and were very active and social.

"It was a surprising delight," she says. "I
wanted to be with them all the time. They were all trying so
hard. I found them to be very hard working and very inspirational."

Though Weinger loved being with the boys and did many activities
with them, she decided she could have a more lasting impact during
her short one-month stay by working with staff on program development
and training. Liberians, by nature, are very honest with their
feelings, Weinger says. More than once, she was told in no uncertain
terms that her strategies from the West would not work with Liberians.
Though expressing their doubts, her hosts were open-minded and
enthusiastically agreed to give her ideas a try.

Whether the program ultimately will be successful or not is
unknown. The American Refugee Committee has committed to running
the program for five years, Weinger says. After that, the program
is to be taken over by the Episcopal Church, which owns the camp
property and buildings, if enough funding for the program is
available.

Weinger says the program was beginning to take hold and she
could see the young trainees gradually getting back in touch
with society and reclaiming their former selves. Regardless of
how successful it becomes, the experience of living in Liberia
and working with the youths there has made a lasting impact on
her.

"I thank my lucky stars that I took the risk to work
in Liberia," Weinger says. "It has given me a growth
spurt in mid-life that I didn't think was possible. My life has
been greatly enriched both personally and professionally."

Weinger hopes to go back to the country and volunteer again
with the program. Until then, she is working to raise donations
for it.

"These are such good human beings and these people are
so trapped that I don't think it's a realistic position to give
up on them," she says. "We need to reach out and help
them."

Cash donations will be used to purchase mattresses, shoes
and books, as well as board games and sports equipment. Those
are the items both counselors and the boys singled out. Checks
may be made out to the American Refugee Committee and may be
mailed to Weinger at 2528 Lorraine Ave., Kalamazoo MI 49008.
For more information, call Weinger at (616) 344-4518 or (616)
387-3196.